“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. … Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Motivation Mondays: HUMAN RIGHTS

Motivation Mondays: HUMAN RIGHTS MATTER

When you deprive people of their right to live in dignity, to hope for a better future, to have control over their lives, when you deprive them of that choice, then you expect them to fight for these rights. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan
Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights. Hillary Clinton
Our hopes for a more just, safe, and peaceful world can only be achieved when there is universal respect for the inherent dignity and equal rights of all members of the human family. UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
There can be no peace without development, no development without peace, and no lasting peace or sustainable development without respect for human rights and the rule of law. Former UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson

Today is Human Rights Day and the 70th anniversary of the UDHR-Universal Declaration of Human Rights. If you care about your freedoms and the basic necessities that make your life comfortable, today is a day to reflect on why we must ensure that those rights are protected and extended to others. If you are fortunate enough to live in a country where the rule of law has weight and you can come and go as you wish, today is a day to remember that your protection by those laws have been fought for. Don’t just sit there and marvel at your freedoms, stay committed to keeping them. You may join in the celebrations and demands for universal human rights by using the hashtag: #StandUp4HumanRights.

Ironically, this is also the day our Happiness Engineers nudged my comfort zone. They decided to change the template/editing plug-in on our blog without warning. So, here I am, trying to create a post for my blog on a completely newly formatted template that makes very little sense to me; the Classic Editor is intuitive and easy to use. The new fangled Gutenberg is NOT. Fortunately for me, I live in a country where I can reach out and get some help without fear of censure. I did, and the Happiness Engineers helped me revert back to the Classic Editor without debate or fear of reprisal. Others are not so fortunate in countries where folks are discouraged from asking questions or challenging authority. People often forget that just because they might live in a country where freedom of choice is the norm, the same does not apply universally. Please keep that in mind before leaving a comment. The UDHR wouldn’t have been a topic of conversation among member nations if those rights were a given. They are NOT. You might have basic rights and choices but many around the globe don’t.

If human rights begin with our right to make choices for ourselves, they must begin with the fundamental decision to make even the smallest, seemingly innocuous choices. If we only view rights through the lens of big, political decisions, then we have missed the point entirely. The erosion of human rights begins with small dismissals and denials that might seem irrelevant to those who impose them yet, they mean the world to those who feel oppressed by them. If we consider that the UDHR has 30 items on its list of rights, it should be an indicator that there are many areas we need to consider. See the list of UDHR 30 rights below*** Remembering the list of 30 rights is an important reason why we must remain vigilant about protecting them. When we take our freedoms for granted, we open the door for others to take them away from us. When we turn a blind eye or participate in the denial of basic rights to others, we widen the gap and embolden those who thrive on the violation of human rights. Human rights matter … protect YOUR rights. When you think of human rights, what comes to mind?READ:Motivation Mondays: HUMAN RIGHTS

The List of UDHR 30 Rights
Article 1 Right to Equality
Article 2 Freedom from Discrimination
Article 3 Right to Life, Liberty, Personal Security
Article 4 Freedom from Slavery
Article 5 Freedom from Torture and Degrading Treatment
Article 6 Right to Recognition as a Person before the Law
Article 7 Right to Equality before the Law
Article 8 Right to Remedy by Competent Tribunal
Article 9 Freedom from Arbitrary Arrest and Exile
Article 10 Right to Fair Public Hearing
Article 11 Right to be Considered Innocent until Proven Guilty
Article 12 Freedom from Interference with Privacy, Family, Home and Correspondence
Article 13 Right to Free Movement in and out of the Country
Article 14 Right to Asylum in other Countries from Persecution
Article 15 Right to a Nationality and the Freedom to Change It
Article 16 Right to Marriage and Family
Article 17 Right to Own Property
Article 18 Freedom of Belief and Religion
Article 19 Freedom of Opinion and Information
Article 20 Right of Peaceful Assembly and Association
Article 21 Right to Participate in Government and in Free Elections
Article 22 Right to Social Security
Article 23 Right to Desirable Work and to Join Trade Unions
Article 24 Right to Rest and Leisure
Article 25 Right to Adequate Living Standard
Article 26 Right to Education
Article 27 Right to Participate in the Cultural Life of Community
Article 28 Right to a Social Order that Articulates this Document
Article 29 Community Duties Essential to Free and Full Development
Article 30 Freedom from State or Personal Interference in the above Rights via UMN.edu

“It cannot be right in a world of increasing human progress – whether in medicine, space exploration or renewable energy – that so many people are denied the most basic human rights.” Paul Polman

Motivation Mondays: HUMAN RIGHTS MATTER

What Are Human Rights? Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination. UNO
We declare that human rights are for all of us, all the time: whoever we are and wherever we are from; no matter our class, our opinions, our sexual orientation. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights or keep them. Our strength is our unity of purpose. To that high concept there can be no end save victory. Franklin D. Roosevelt

What about Human Rights? From a historical perspective, some say that the earliest documented record on human rights was created by Cyrus the Great in 539 B.C. The Emperor Ashoka had his famous edicts that prevented some of the atrocities that were ubiquitous in areas he controlled and ruled. Other wise leaders created laws and tenets that protected humans from savagery and the term – human rights – is believed to have come into use around 1742. It was mentioned in writings by Thomas Paine, Hegel and Garrison. In the aftermath of the World Wars, The League of Nations, which was created in 1919, gathered at the Yalta Conference in 1945 and created the United Nations Organization. In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. The impetus behind the adoption was to address the atrocities of the WW years and to create guidelines to prevent them from happening again. According to the UN, UDHR today signifies the following:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights empowers us all.

Human rights are relevant to all of us, every day.

Our shared humanity is rooted in these universal values.

Equality, justice and freedom prevent violence and sustain peace.

Whenever and wherever humanity’s values are abandoned, we all are at greater risk.

We need to stand up for our rights and those of others.

The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for NOV 2018/DEC 2018 are:

More Below“For this generation, ours, life is nuclear survival, liberty is human rights, the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants.” Jimmy Carter

Motivation Mondays: HUMAN RIGHTS

Motivation Mondays: HUMAN RIGHTS MATTER

A right delayed is a right denied. Martin Luther King, Jr.
To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity. Nelson Mandela
The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. John F. Kennedy
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. Elie Wiesel
When the fundamental principles of human rights are not protected, the center of our institution no longer holds. It is they that promote development that is sustainable; peace that is secure; and lives of dignity. Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein

Why have a HUMAN RIGHTS DAY? Why is it important to have a human rights day when so many do NOT have HUMAN RIGHTS? There are so many reasons for honoring this important day; the first is because if we forget, others will forget. When I was working on this post, I came across several lists about human rights and one thing that stood out is that there are basic human rights we all deserve to have; they are the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Throughout world history, many have fought and died to attain and protect them. To date, 132 nations have ratified the UDHR but, there is still plenty of work to do and our leaders must act to honor them. Come back for more.

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Positive Motivation Tip: Human rights matter and we must ensure that our rights are protected and extended to others.

Motivation Mondays is open to anyone who wishes to share a motivational quote, photo, personal challenge or a post that encourages others to start the week on an upbeat note.Basic Instructions: Each week, I will have a motivation word to help us create a response. (See listed words for the months above/below)Email address: You may email or share your post as a comment and I will add it to the round-up of related posts. email it to: contact(@)mirthandmotivation(.)comCategory tag: – Share your post using Motivation MondaysTwitter hashtag: – Use this on Twitter #MotvnMDedicated Page: There is a dedicated page for Motivation Mondays. It has the same instructions and will include other helpful tools and a link to the round-upFacebook Page:MotivationOnMondays Join our page and add your post and/or any motivational piece you think will be helpful to others.Facebook Community: We have a Facebook community forum to compliment the page. It serves as another way to share uplifting posts and thoughts. Please join in and add your voice.

Badge: – I created a fun badge using PicMonkey’s free photo editing tools. You can create your own, use WordPress’ integrated tool on your blog or you are welcome to use mine. (see dedicated page)Tag: – Motivation MondaysHashtag: – #MotvnM

With the current state of our government right now and what is happening at our borders, may i just say bravo. We need to start being more vocal about what is happening In 2018. Never in my life at 35 would I think that human rights would be a “matter of discussion”. I have to take a step back everyday and remind myself where we have been, where we are and where we are going. Wonderful post. I shared it as well.

There are many human being on our planet who don’t have any rights. Its very disappointing to know about them as they don’t have freedom to speak their mind and do things which normal human being is doing in developed countries. It is very important for us all who have all the human rights intact to think about those not so fortunate. I must say its a well written article and I am glad to see that people like you are spending your valuable time to make others aware of the issues.

Human Rights are really something which should be aware and implement it. It should always be fair to every person irrespective of race, gender etc etc. Hope we live in a world where these rights would be implemented and maybe world would be a little better place.

I think we are so lucky to live in democratic countries, where our human rights are somehow respected. I have traveled to so many less developed countries, where women for example has so less rights than men. Or where the family you are born in decides your status in society… it’s so sad. We should be grateful!

I think many people in this world are deprived of living in dignity, they live as people with no voice as there is no one to talk to them so society moves on as if these people do not exist.Human rights gets abused every single day in ways that are hard to even think of.
Thanks for sharing something most people feel is a taboo, some will even pretend inhumane living conditions do not happen.

A very interesting and important topic to write about. We read so much in the news about people being treated unfairly in first world countries, but people in other countries barely have any human rights! I love the quotes you added as well, they really bring home your points.

This is such an important topic! We read so much in the news about people around the world being treated horribly, but so many people are too uncomfortable to sit down and have conversations about it. Thank you for taking the time to write about this!

This is a sensitive topic for me. As a Filipino living under the rule of a president who is arrogant, guilty of blasphemy, with little to no respect for women, and blatant disregard of human rights, I can only hope for a brighter future for our beloved country.

All those human rights are absolutely essential for every human being on this planet. I am happy to know that there is a special Human Rights Day which brings this to our attention at least once a year.

This is such a powerful topic and you write about it so well. Such things can be so much closer to home than we realize too. Even down to certain relationships where one side exercises suppression over the other side. Just because there is the legal freedom doesn’t mean everyone is free from the mental bondage that keeps them from experiencing that freedom, which can also lead to so much judgment.

Human rights are definitely an important topic to discuss and needs to remain in the forefront. It is unfortunate that some people have these rights stripped away from them. Awareness is one tool to keep this from happening. Thanks for bring this issue to the forefront.

Such an important topic to think about! We’re lucky that we live in a part of the world where we have a lot of rights but people in other countries hardly have any! Definitely something we should all be working on together.

Wow I love all of the quotes that you shared. Human rights is an important subject that many people don’t have a clear understanding about how the global impact is inflicted upon others. Many residents of the world do not have any rights and that is sad.

So glad I read this moving post! Human Rights is a right all humans have but unfortunately that’s not the case for everyone. We are amazingly blessed to live in a country that believes in human rights but things still happen. It is all of our parts to well informed about these kind of topics and spread light, positivity, and love!

I am always trying to remember to be grateful that I live in such a free country. Especially when we get wrapped up in the materialism of the holidays, it can be hard to remember that many others aren’t so lucky!

Human rights are something that all people want to have. Equal treatments and no discriminations especially if you are in a lowest stage that might consider. Hope someday it will become more open to all to have these human rights acts.Thank you for this wonderful sharing.

Human rights are so important and I’ve been struggling with how I can be a part of making a difference for those whose rights are not being treat the same as mine. Great topic choice and I love the quotes you shared.

Human Rights issues are issues everyone should care about. Every person deserves basic rights and its so sad that it is almost 2019 and there are still so many without these rights. I am hopeful that by the time my own child is an adult, there are many less people fighting for those basic rights.

I have mentioned on FB and Insta that Human Rights is an important element in our lives. But it can be a difficult call as what is the right “human right”: the rights of a person as an individual or the rights of a person in a society. That is a big question.

We are blessed to be living in the country we live in, in terms of where our human rights are looked upon. I’ve been to 3rd world countries and I’m so grateful for the life that I have now and yes it is so sad to see other countries not experiencing the same.

These are such beautiful reminders. I love all the quotes and the inspirational Motivational Mondays links. Reminders of our humanity and to remember each others rights are so important. We get so caught up in “Me” moments, that we forget to love each other and understand there are those without.

As an activist, human rights is a very important topic to me. Especially these days when even the most basic of human rights are being violated in countries that are supposed to be free…I loved your list of 30 human rights and also loved the quotes you chose.

Human rights are the basic
rights and freedoms that belong to every
person in the world, from birth until death.
They apply regardless of where you are from,
what you believe or how you choose to live
your life. Thanks for this interesting post.

Thank you so much for this amazing article.I couldn’t agree more that in some countries,people fight for their basic human rights,like for example their right of expressing opinions with freedom.And that is really unfortunate.

I love the premise of this post, but was actually highly disappointed by it. Many of these facts are well known and I was hoping for a fresh spin on it. However, I love that it is something you’re willing to talk about as it is really important.
I also found that the post was far too broken up and I really struggled to follow the post.

With everything going on in the world today this is an important reminder. Maybe I’d everyone respected each other and looked at one another as equals we would have more peace in this world. Great read! Always good to be reminded of our basic rignts.

Yet another reason I feel so lucky to live in the US. Although the current state of our government might appear otherwise, human rights issues aren’t as prevalent here as in other countries. Because we are so secure, we can advocate louder and stronger for those who are so fortunate, including those trying to enter our country.

You were so right. In some countries people judge you when you ask for donations, they’ll think you’re just lazy or you’ll use it for your own personal things that wasn’t so important. They don’t know how it feels when you want to provide for something but can’t use your personal money.

With the state of things in our country and the rest of the world, now more than ever it is important to advocate for this all the time not just on Human Rights Day. We need to ensure that these basic rights are preserved for all!

On Human Rights Day I saw a video of a lady being arrested in a social service office and her child being pulled from her arms. The scene was savage, heartless and difficult to watch. As a nation we have to do better where the poor is treated with the same respect as the rich.

Here in our country we do respect women, elders and children. What’s bothering us when it comes to human rights is the fact that justice here is absurd. It always all about the money and influence. It’s so sad.

Very informative article time is perfectly to coincide with the celebration of human rights day. Thanks for listing the 30 human rights that all humans should be aware of and that they are entitled to .

Why are equal rights important?
Thomas Jefferson promoted equality not for the sake of being equal, but for a prosperous, growing, happy society. For when one group has less, ex. Rights, then this makes those with more want to pick on, denegrate, abuse those with less. Thus brings about a divisive society having general discord, things that drag down and can destroy society. Note also when one is raised up, conversely this lowers down the other. So giving more rights to a group, will lower even further the lesser group from getting such rights. This indirect negative force is by nature not openly apparent, so can be used dirty, yet appear to have clean hands.

Such a powerful quote ” Our hopes for a more just, safe, and peaceful world can only be achieved when there is universal respect for the inherent dignity and equal rights of all members of the human family”. Thank you for sharing

This was a long read, but a really good one, every person has rights that need to be maintained, but still that doesn’t mean that the rights of other people should be ignored, it’s a delicate balance that needs to be found and then maintained. But this is something that needs to be know by people, because just how many people have their basic rights ignored because of politics, indecency and what not. Thank you for sharing this strong message, we need to band together and make this world a better place for everyone.

This post couldn’t have come at better time. The things we see in this world are something we all need to consider. Our Human Rights are important and they are something we must fight for. Even when things don’t directly affect us, we must be advocates for those who can’t.

As far as human rights are concerned, we have gone a long way but we still have a long way to go. The words of Martin Luther King, Jr. are still relevant today, as so many people’s rights are still delayed and thus denied because of bureaucracy, prejudice and ignorant.

It’s really nice to raise awareness about this. I’m actually on a short break from binge-watching Christiane Amanpour’s Sex and Love around the World, so your post really resonates after seeing what happens in India, for example.

Their really is a difference between human rights and… other rights like constitutional rights. I am sure I am with the 50% that many of you are not on. However, I do think every life is important. Every person is important.

This is such an important topic that isn’t discussed as much as it should be. I loved everything that you wrote here, it’s all very much needed information for those who may not know a lot about this current issue. Thanks for sharing!

Great post. We the people need to understand that all human are born equally and should be trated as such. Know the importance of human right and know the history of it is even better. Thank you for sharing

Human rights is something we all need to think about. I always think about it giving people the maximum amount of freedom to find their happiness, while still preventing people from hurting others. Definitely many things to think about when it comes to human rights.